Technological development has been, in many ways, a blessing, but it has its drawbacks. As we continue to rely more and more on cell phones, tablets, and laptops for daily living, our bodies are feeling the impact. Bodies want to be moved, so when we are sitting, staring at a screen, looking downwards, typing with our fingers, and/or holding a smartphone or tablet, our bodies will start to complain, causing aches and pains. Two major issues that can arise from overuse of phones are cell phone elbow and text neck.
Cell Phone Elbow and Text Claw
Cell phone elbow refers to pain in the elbow or forearm due to extended phone use (from texting, playing games, scrolling on social media, etc.). It can feel like a stiff elbow, tingling or numbness, or achy sore muscles in the surrounding area. It often arises from spending long periods of time holding a phone in a particular position, thus causing the muscles to be fatigued or one of the nerves in the elbow to become pinched. Sometimes the tingling sensation travels all the way down to the ring and pinky fingers.
A subset of cell phone elbow is known as text claw. This occurs when the muscles of the forearms and hands become so overused that they get stuck in a tight, contracted position, resembling a claw. The best treatment for cell phone elbow is to reduce phone usage and find more ergonomic ways to grasp a phone. However, simply changing your habits doesn't always mean the pain goes away.
Massage can be instrumental in helping release and relax tight muscles, resetting them back to a more relaxed state. Massage can also help reduce the inflammation and soreness caused by overuse. Massage therapists can show you stretches and exercises for preventing elbow, wrist, and hand pain so that this problem doesn't arise again.
Text Neck
Text neck is another phone-related issue that causes rounded shoulders and a head-forward posture, eventually leading to pain and stiffness in the neck, back, and shoulders. This is due to spending extended amounts of time in a poor posture while using technology. In the past, this condition was sometimes called Scholar’s Neck due to its prevalence among students and teachers who spent a lot of time hunched over their reading. Most patients we see complain of some sort of pain, stiffness, or tension in their upper back and neck. Text neck is a common culprit.
Like cell phone elbow, massage can be very beneficial to alleviating pain. By massaging muscles such as the pectorals (commonly known as the pecs) in the upper chest and massaging and strengthening muscles like the rhomboids and trapezius in the back, we cannot only reduce pain but also correct the body’s imbalances, leading to better posture and healthier habits. Massage is both therapeutic, helping a patient feel better in the moment, and preventative, helping patients make lasting changes to avoid the problem arising in the first place.
Elley Cannon, LMT studied massage at East West College of the Healing Arts and Advanced Craniosacral Therapy at Moving Mountain Institute. She enjoys the puzzling and quantum nature of the body’s signals and will work with clients to unpack the clues that their body is giving them to form a treatment plan for recovery. Aside from massage work, Elley is passionate about fantasy & Sci-fi, psychedlic therapy, and dance.
Elley Cannon, LMT
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